A prominent Suffolk newsagents' is set to close later this month – 44 years after the current owner took it on – after the lease ran out.

Baggott and Son, in Aldeburgh High Street, is set to shut on Sunday, May 21 after owner Peter Cooney said he could not renew the lease for the premises for another ten years.

Mr Cooney runs the newsagents' with his son Alan and also owns two fish and chip shops in the seaside town.

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He said 'dwindling turnover' had also influenced his decision to shut.

"The lease at Baggott has run out and in the 44 years since I took the business over, turnover has dropped rapidly and expenses have increased considerably.

"I want to thank staff who have worked diligently and in all weather conditions. Baggott is part of Aldeburgh and I hope it is reinstated in the future," Mr Cooney said.

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He said a key factor in the declining turnover had been a drop in the number of people buying newspapers over the years.

Aldeburgh resident Frances Gibb said many people in the town were in "shock" at the news that the store was set to close.

She said: "Situated physically in the very centre of town, the shop is also its beating heart - providing a point of contact and human communication for hundreds of inhabitants.

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"Every day numerous visiting dogs also stand up at the counter and are fed a biscuit."

She added the news broke when a dog walker was told it might be his dog's last biscuit at the newsagents' store.

"The staff, I believe six of them, know hundreds of inhabitants by name and also all about their daily lives. It is the equivalent of the village shop disappearing," she added.